Italian Cauliflower Salad

This Cauliflower Salad is incredibly delicious and incredibly light and couldn’t be more Italian. It’s loaded with tender cauliflower florets, kalamata olives, capers, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to give it some heat. Then it’s chilled for at least 2 hours before serving. An old recipe from our mom, only this time we added a few more ingredients to make it a little more flavorful and spicy.

No need to add any salt, the capers and kalamata olives along with some Spanish olives give enough salt to this salad; but go ahead and add some to suit your taste. I won’t mind.

Using cauliflower in salads is not only smart, it’s a great way to get your family to eating more of this vegetable. Loaded with vitamin C and vitamin K, cauliflower is known to help lower cholesterol and even prevent certain forms of cancer. And because it’s 92% water by weight, it’s perfect for low calorie diets.

The best part? It’s a healthy salad you can easily whip up in 10 minutes, make ahead and chill it well before serving.

Perfect side dish to bring to any barbecue or gathering. This recipe for Italian Cauliflower Salad will transform this everyday boring vegetable into something your whole family will enjoy!

This recipe for Italian Cauliflower Salad will transform this everyday vegetable into something spectacular!

Ingredients

1 medium size cauliflower, rinsed, cord and pulled apart florets

juice of 1 lemon

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves- diced

⅛ tsp. red pepper flakes

7 kalamata olives- sliced

2 Tbsp. non-pareilles capers

6 green olives- sliced (Spanish olives stuffed with pimento)

¼ cup freshly chopped parsley

fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

Insert a metal colander inside a large pot, filled with 1-inch of water, and place the pot over medium heat. Bring water to a boil and add the cauliflower florets and cover. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or just firm to the fork.

Drain and remove from stove. Remain in the pot, covered and allow it to steam for about 3 minutes, or until it's tender. Transfer the cauliflower directly to a large mixing bowl.

Add all the rest of the ingredients and gently toss to combine. Taste and season with fresh cracked pepper and some salt to taste. Here is where you can add more red pepper flakes too.

Refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 hours, uncovered until it's completely chilled, then cover with clear wrap. Transfer cauliflower salad to a serving bowl and serve.

Notes

Cauliflower is best when under cooked a little, as it will continue to cook as it cools down. If you over cook, it will become mushy and it will ruin the salad. Allow the salad to cool completely before covering. You can make it one day ahead and the salad will last up to 4 days. Best chilled over night.